As the dust settles on perhaps the highest-profile event on the motoring calendar — the Geneva Motor Show — we round up a few of the VW Group highlights.
Bugatti and Lamborghini
The Geneva Motor Show isn’t all about absurd amounts of horsepower, but it’s certainly plays a major part. The VW Group didn’t disappoint on this score, with the unveiling of the Bugatti Chiron Sport. As you might guess, it’s an even more mental version of the already insanely fast Bugatti Chiron. The hypercar’s 1479 bhp engine has been left alone, but the engineers have radically adjusted the suspension and steering, as well as paring the Sport down by 18kg. It all adds up to a tauter, faster car on the track, if you can afford £2.36 million.
Following the track-focus theme, the Lamborghini Huracán Performante Spyder also debuted in Geneva. The soft-top convertible has lost a massive 35kg. Combined with 631 bhp, that’s going to be a toupée-threatening top-down experience. Take a look at their ridiculously Italian promo video.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ecV7nA3pXVI
Audi
The good news is that if you haven’t got seven-figure sums to splash out on a car, there were some alternatives on display in Geneva. At the executive end of the market, Audi launched the new A6 saloon. Firmly targeting the class-dominating BMW 5, the A6 uses a hybrid system to lower emissions and increase fuel economy. There are 37 driver-assist features, and owners will have two 8.6 inch smartphone-like touchscreens to fiddle with. Oh, and the styling is gorgeous. Prices will be between £33,000 and £37,000.
SEAT…well, Cupra, actually
For some years, SEAT has used Cupra to designate the performance versions of its cars. Now the Cupra will become its own fully-fledged brand, in a move that echoes companies like Renault (Renaultsport) and Fiat (Abarth).
Cupra’s first offering, on show at Geneva is its performance version of the mighty Ateca SUV. The Cupra Ateca boasts four wheel drive and just shy of 300 bhp. Six further versions of SEAT models are due to follow in the next two years.
Thanks to Auto Express for their excellent review:
Volkswagen
As we’ve pointed out before, Volkswagen is embracing an electric, autonomous future. In fact, based on the Geneva show, it’s bear-hugging it. Take the ID Vizzion concept car, for example. On sale from 2021 in the UK, the ID Vizzion won’t be just any Volkswagen. Rather, it’s the replacement of their flagship executive saloon, the Phaeton.
Powered by two electric motors, the ID Vizzion will have 302 bhp on tap, powering this very large saloon to 62 mph in an estimated 6.3 seconds. For those suffering range anxiety, how does 413 miles sound? All pretty impressive, but it’s the car’s potential for autonomy that have been grabbing headlines: the ID Vizzion is bristling with cameras, LIDAR, ultrasound and radar sensors. Combined with advanced AI systems, they mean that the Vizzion offers the promise of Level 5 autonomy in the next few years. To drive the point home, the concept model didn’t even have a steering wheel (though the first production models will, of course).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI6g5dMzDTs
Skoda
Ah, another concept car. One of the more interesting conceptual offerings at Geneva was Skoda’s Vision X SUV concept. This presented a different take on tackling the universal problem of reducing emissions: a hybrid natural gas power train. Around the size of a SEAT Arona, the Vision X will store compressed natural gas in two cylinders. These power a 1.5 litre engine that drives the front axle. The combustion engine is supported by two electric motors, one supplementing the power to the front axle, the other driving the rear. Range will be around 400 miles.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=81jVdxJp66E
Meanwhile, in South Wales
The Geneva Motor Show continues to brings us the most outrageous and futuristic vehicles in the automotive world, and the glitzy reveals of the latest models. We wouldn’t have it any other way. Meanwhile, many of us are happy just to get from A to B in a safe, reliable car. If you’re in Cardiff or the South Wales region, that’s where we come in. Specialising in VW cars, we offer main dealership levels of service for your MOT, repair or servicing needs. Contact us today.